Sepang International Circuit
Hermann Tilke's breakthrough modern F1 design — wide, fast and famously punishing in tropical heat and afternoon monsoons.
Circuit at a glance
- Years active
- 1999–2017
- F1 races
- 19
- Length
- 5.543 km
- Turns
- 15
History and character
Opened in 1999 as the first of the so-called 'Tilkedromes', Sepang set the template for nearly every new F1 venue that followed: long DRS-friendly straights bookended by heavy-braking hairpins, run-off measured in football pitches and gigantic spectator grandstands. Its layout produced consistently strong racing for almost two decades, often decided as much by tyre management in 35 °C heat as by raw pace.
Why it left the calendar
Falling local interest and rising hosting fees pushed the Malaysian Grand Prix off the calendar after 2017, but Sepang still hosts MotoGP and endurance racing, and it remains the benchmark Tilke 'tropical' layout for modern F1 design.
Iconic moment
'Multi 21' in 2013 — Sebastian Vettel ignoring Red Bull's hold-station team order and passing Mark Webber for the win, igniting a feud that defined a season.
Notable Grand Prix winners
- Michael Schumacher
- Fernando Alonso
- Sebastian Vettel
- Lewis Hamilton